Brussels, 06/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - In a statement published on Thursday, Günter Verheugen, European Enlargement Commissioner, expressed disappointment at the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Rauf Denktash rejecting the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan's invitation to take part in the next round of negotiations to find a solution to the Cyprus question. The declaration signals that the European Commission has actively contributed to the efforts by the UN Secretary General to get discussions off the ground again in order to seek a solution to the Cyprus problem. Mr Verheugen said that at his meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Denktash, in Zurich on 27 August, he had stressed the EU's clear preference for a solution to be found before enlargement, but that was not a prerequisite for Cyprus being able to join the EU. Against this background, Mr Verheugen expressed deep disappointment that Mr Denktash did not accept the UN Secretary General's invitation to participate in the negotiations on 12 September. The Commission believes that it was still possible to find a solution before enlargement and encouraged both sides to make all possible efforts to meet this objective.